Turnabout Betrayal
by 801tman
Summary: A woman has been tortured and killed. The accused murderer? The woman's sister. Will Phoenix find out the truth behind the murder? Will he be able to save his client and put an end to a sad story?
1. Chapter 1

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?" A young woman, tied to a chair, blood seeping out from multiple wounds, asked the man standing over her, knife in hand.

"I'm sorry, Marielle, but I'm afraid that you're paying for the sins of your father."

"My father will pay the ransom. Just please…please spare me."

"Oh, I'm sure he would have, but I'm not after money. I want him to feel the pain I felt when I lost my daughter at his hands! The only way for that to happen is for him to lose a daughter of his own, in a rather painful way too. If you were a part of a different family, I would have no need to kidnap you in the first place." The man held up the knife to his face, eying the reflection from the one lightbulb hanging from the room.

"Now, it's time for you to bid farewell to this world."

Marielle screamed, but the knife came down quickly and decisively. The only sound that could be heard was the man's heavy breathing.

Phoenix yawned and looked at the paperwork in front of him. As much as he loved being a defense attorney, he hated the paperwork that came with it. "Why can't this be done on the computer already? My hand is starting to cramp from so many signatures." In the other room, he could hear the playful argument between Apollo and Athena, vying for who gets the remote for the TV. _I suppose I could take a break._

Phoenix walked out of his office and into the entrance of the "Wright Anything Agency."

"Why are you guys arguing about the remote again? This is the sixth time this week."

Athena glared at Apollo. "And the other five times, Apollo had the remote! It's my turn!"

"You must be joking right?" Apollo shook his head. "YOU'RE the one who had it the past five times!"

Phoenix sighed. Taking the remote from Apollo, he smiled. "Well, since we can't be civilized about this, I'LL be the one that has the remote then."

Athena and Apollo immediately objected. However, before Phoenix could respond to their objections, he heard the phone ring. Taking the remote with him, he walked to his office and picked it up. "Wright Anything Agency. This is Phoenix."

A timid, female voice was on the other end of the call. "A—are you Phoenix Wright? The defense attorney?"

"The one and only. Do you have need of my services?"

"Y—yes I do. You see…m—my sister…she was murdered…and I'm being accused of killing her."

Phoenix stared at the entrance into his office, seeing Apollo and Athena curiously looking in to see what was happening. "I see…I assume you're already at the detention center then?"

"Yes I am…"

"Alright then. What's your name?"

"Mary. Mary Winslow."

"Alright Ms. Winslow, I'll be down to speak with you about what happened. I'll make my decision to take your case or not once I talk to you in person."

"O—okay. I understand. I'll be waiting for you then…Mr. Wright."

"Alright. I'll see you then." Phoenix hung up the phone and sighed. His mind flashed back to Mia's murder, how her sister Maya was accused of killing her. It seems like there was another case like it. Apollo and Athena entered the office. "Another case boss?"

"Yes, though I'm not sure if I'm going to take it or not. I'm going to meet her now and see what she has to say. Stay here and guard the fort while I'm gone."

Athena gave Phoenix a mock military salute, while widget responded with "Sir yes sir!"

Phoenix smirked and started walking out of the office, briefcase and remote in hand. "I'll be taking this along with me to avoid any conflict while I'm gone. I don't want my office to be burned down while I'm gone."

Apollo and Athena opened their mouths to say something, but Phoenix was already out of the door and hailing for a taxi.

Phoenix arrived at the detention center, seeing the outside of the all-too-familiar building. _How many times have I been here?_ Once he entered the building, the familiar security guard ushered him where to go. Sitting down in front of the glass, Phoenix waited for his potential client to appear. Soon, a petite, brunette woman was ushered into the room by security. She slowly sat down in the chair opposite of Phoenix and picked up the phone. Phoenix did the same. "Mr. Wright…"

"Ms. Winslow. Let's get right to the point. What happened?"

"Well, my father and I went out to go shopping yesterday morning. I asked my sister Marielle if she wanted to come along, but she said she was too tired and wanted to stay home. I went shopping with my father, but he got a call from the hospital asking him to come to perform an emergency surgery. Since the hospital was on the way to the house, he quickly dropped me off and hurried there. However, when I got inside the house, my sister wasn't there. I figured she went out with friends, so I didn't think anything of it. However, when I got to my room, someone hit me on the back of my head and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was surrounded by officers in a building I didn't know. That's when they accused me of murdering my sister and arrested me…"

"What proof did they have to arrest you?"

"I don't know. The only things I've heard is that they have my DNA on several items in the crime scene and fingerprints. I don't know what they exactly have though…"

Phoenix looked at Mary. _She doesn't seem to be lying…_

"You said you got hit on the back of your head. Can you prove that there's at least a mark there?"

"Yes…but the police said it occurred during the struggle…"

"Struggle?"

"Yes, but they haven't said what struggle. I've been kept in the dark about my sister's death…"

Phoenix sighed and looked down. Mary started tearing up. "Please Mr. Wright…I—I didn't kill my sister…I would never do anything like that. Please…please help me!"

Phoenix looked at Mary. His mind was decided. "Alright Ms. Winslow, I'll take up your case."

Mary looked at Phoenix, a genuine smile flashed across her face. "Y—you really mean it?!"

"Yes. I wouldn't joke about something like that."

"Thank you Mr. Wright! Thank you! I asked several attorneys before you, but none would believe me and defend me…thank you Mr. Wright."

Phoenix smiled. His mind flashed back to the time of Mia's death and the face Maya showed him when he said he would defend her. "I will find out who killed your sister. I promise you that."


	2. Chapter 2

Phoenix looked at the address he had written down one last time and looked at the building in front of him. "Well…this is the address…but…" Phoenix stared at the building for a few seconds. "This building is definitely creeping me out…best to talk to the person in charge of the investigation and get out of here." Phoenix looked at the driver, who was giving him a weird glance. "Uh…police business?"

The man still blankly stared at him before sticking his hand out. "Oh, right, the money." Phoenix paid the driver and got out of the taxi. "I really need to get my license. I must be on a warning list in all taxi companies that says I'm a mental lunatic that speaks about crime and death all the time."

Phoenix chuckled and walked straight to the crime scene tape. The officer guarding the spot spotted Phoenix and walked toward him. "Mr. Wright. I assume you're defending the defendant in this case since you're here?"

"I am indeed." _I just hope I don't go to a restaurant somewhere and get asked that…_

The officer lifted the tape and motioned for Phoenix to follow. "We received a distressed phone call yesterday. She was screaming how her and her friends were dared to go into this building at night. When they arrived, they said their skin began to get goosebumps, and one of them suggested they leave. The girl who called us told them to get over their fear and go deeper into the building. When they walked further into the building…"

The officer and Phoenix walked into another room, completely drenched in the smell of blood. Red blood spatters were against the wall, the wooden chair was soaked in blood, knives, hooks, and other instruments of torture were strewn about the room. "They walked into this."

Phoenix felt nauseated, his stomach churning from the sight. The officer waited a few seconds to let Phoenix regain his composure before walking deeper into the room. "When we arrived, we found the mutilated body of Marielle Winslow. The coroner's office determined her death was caused by a knife cutting through her throat, severing the jugular veins and carotid arteries. She bled to death in seconds. They also determined she was severely tortured with several of the instruments you see now on the ground, and also post mortem."

"The killer still attacked her body even though she was dead?"

"Yes."

"What makes you think it was my client who killed her own sister, in such a violent manner?"

"Fingerprints, DNA evidence, motive, and two eye witness testimonies."

"Two people witnessed this and didn't report this to the authorities?!"

"The two people are two of the teenagers who came here and discovered the body. They claim it was your client who killed her."

"What is the motive?"

"I can't give everything away Mr. Wright. Mr. Bonner would have my hide if I told you everything we knew."

"Mr. Bonner?"

"The prosecutor of this case. Transferred here from New York. Heard he has a nearly flawless record and has a knack of making even the most difficult cases easy. He'll be a challenge for a defense attorney of your caliber."

"Where is he?"

A gruff voice behind him startled Phoenix. "Right behind you."

Phoenix turned and saw an elderly man with gray hair. The hair was sleeked back, trying to give him as youthful a look as he possible could. "You're Prosecutor Bonner?"

"I am. The name is Mitchell. Mitchell Bonner. I assume you're Phoenix Wright?"

"Y-yes, I am." _This guy gives me the same feeling Manfred Von Karma gave me…_

Prosecutor Bonner chuckled. "I'm going to enjoy crushing you in court. I've heard many a tale about your ability to find the 'truth' in the most difficult of cases. I heard you were the one who discovered that the person I respected most, Manfred Von Karma, killed a fellow defense attorney. It was a sad day for me, but it is one I wish to erase from my memory by defeating you in court."

Phoenix looked anxiously at Mitchell. _No wonder he gave me the same feeling…it's even worse than what Von Karma gave me now…_

Phoenix sighed, stabilizing his emotions. "I was a rookie defense attorney then. I've learned lots from the years after that, both in and out of court. I will prove my client's innocence."

Mitchell laughed and looked at the officer. "I like this guy already. Confidence, composure, quick thinking, great instincts, all making a great attorney, but they are also your greatest weakness."

"What do you mean?"

"Confidence can be your greatest ally. It makes you think you have control of the situation, gives you power. However, when your confidence is based off a shaky foundation, the confidence falls just as quickly as the foundation. Your foundation is trust, trust in your client until the bitter end. That's an ideal that is obsolete. I will destroy the trust you have in your client, cause you to doubt, and crush your confidence. Only one attorney has ever managed to defeat me, and sadly, he is no longer in the profession. This trial will be over in the first day, you can count on it."

"Your confidence is your undoing as well. You seem—"

"My confidence is based from past experiences, lessons learned the hard way, not some crazy ideal of trust. We're not in some fantasy land. We're in the real world, and I will make you realize the error of your ways."

Phoenix's blood was starting to boil. It was one thing to insult him, but to insult what Mia had instilled in him from day one was unforgivable. "You wait and see Prosecutor Bonner. Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

"An overused analogy. I tire of this conversation. The next time we'll see each other will be across each other in the courtroom. Until then, goodbye, Mr. Wright."

Mitchell turned around and walked the other direction, disappearing in another room in the building. The officer cleared his throat. "See why I can't tell you anything else?"

"Yeah…I see why…"

Phoenix was still angry over Mitchell's comments. _I will make you eat your words…I swear it!_


End file.
